Saturday, February 15, 2014

Well enough to go walking this morning

When I woke this morning, I decided I was well enough to go out and walk with the Fairhaven walkers, even though I still have a sore throat. My sneezing has stopped, so I quickly went online to see whether it would be a good idea to exercise or not. I discovered that, according to WebMD, one should do the "neck check" to decide whether to exercise or not. In other words,

If your symptoms are above the neck, including a sore throat, nasal congestion, sneezing, and tearing eyes, then it's OK to exercise. If your symptoms are below the neck, such as coughing, body aches, fever, and fatigue, then it's time to hang up the running shoes until these symptoms subside.

We walked five miles or so at a fast clip, and I felt just fine, except for that pesky sore throat. I was careful not to hug anyone or spread my germs in any way as we walked to Zuanich Point Park from downtown. You can see in the above picture that it wasn't raining, but there was also no chance of having any sunshine.

The walking group

We even had a man join us this morning, where we usually have a large group of women only. Most men get a bit intimidated that there are no other men around, I guess. They don't often return for a second trip. Afterwards, several of us went for coffee, and I got a chance to see Rita's new cast.

Rita and her lime-green cast

She was tap dancing when she slipped and broke her wrist. She had a brace for awhile, but when she went to the orthopedic surgeon, he felt that a cast was a better idea and asked her what color she'd like. She decided to match it to her iPhone case! I guess she won't be hiking for awhile, since she can't very well use her trekking poles or put her backpack on easily. She was given some pain medications but needed to ask her next-door neighbor to open the childproof package.

I do feel better after exercising, but it sure does feel good to be home and cozy in my own warm home. I guess now I can feel okay about binge-watching the second series of House of Cards on Netflix!
:-)

We can find out just about anything with a few clicks now-a-days. OK to walk with above neck symptoms. Interesting. It's no secret that cool fresh air can feel wonderful when you have head congestion.Around here we are all Olympics all of the time, with tablets and laptops and e-Readers in use simultaneously. I missed a window for a short walk earlier and now I see it's raining so I guess I'll not be venturing out for now. The kids are here for an overnight and they too are plugged in. It's time to see what they are doing on the desk top. It might be organized game time.

So glad you're feeling better, DJan. You might try eating some raw garlic for that sore throat. It will burn a bit and I find that eating it with a piece of cheese or apple helps. But it works for me!!

Happy to read you are feeling better, and back into your normal daily routine.I had the sniffles last week, first cold in about fifteen years, so I'm grateful for that.Get rested up, and recover completely !Hugs,~Jo

Interesting to know those guidelines. I'll try to remember that though I rarely get a cold. Sorry to hear you have the punies and hope you make it all the way back to rollicking good health soon. I'm sure getting out in the fresh air with friends helped.

Glad to hear you're back on the trail. I hadn't heard that rule of thumb before, and so will keep it in mind. Meanwhile, bingeing on "House of Cards" huh? I haven't sampled that one yet. I've been bingeing on "Breaking Bad", which is good but not for anyone with a queasy stomach; and also "Parenthood" which is kinda sappy but B and I love it.

After a hectic week, I just got done catching up on your last couple of posts, DJan. So glad you were feeling better enough to get out with your walking group today!Great tip on the neck check.I don't know how I've managed it, but I dodged the fever/flu bug that hit a few of our kids, and so far this winter I have not lost my voice once. I normally lose my voice a couple of times a year - when I fall under the weather, it's the first thing to go. I did, however, do something to my back a month or two ago. I've never had any kind of back pain in my life, and BOY! do I sympathize with those who have it full time!I took it pretty easy for a couple of weeks. I found that being active & moving around actually helped the most. Feeling pain-free again at last!

Glad you are feeling better. I started "binge watching" the second season of House of Cards yesterday - we are in the middle of another freaky storm, so I "binge watched" and read part of the day. Netflix is making some good series, eh. Have a wonderful day DJan, sip some sweet tea and take care :)

It sounds like sharing the day in the outdoors with some great friends was just the right prescription for you. You deserve a great day. We watched more of the House of Cards yesterday too. Kevin Spacey has such a nice voice even if he plays villains.

This is the plus side of what happens when I fall behind and have to catch up on blog reading.. I don't have to wait a whole day to find out if you're feeling better.

Funny that Rita's cast matches her iPhone case.. too cute. It would be nice if pharmacists gave us the option of childproof caps or not. I can remember having to gather all of my mother-in-law's medications and put them out of my kids' reach when we'd visit but that was for me to keep on top of - not her.

Those are interesting guidelines. I copied them and emailed them to my hubby. He's had bronchitis for the past nine days. He keeps thinking he can go out and walk the dog. He never gets sick, never. I hope he will follow this advice so he can get over this virus.

Interesting theory to store away in the old grey cells until I need to remember when should I exercise or not. I like your friend's choice of color and I didn't know there is a choice of colors in casts. So glad you enjoyed your walk with your hiking buddies.

Dear DJan, I'm glad you're feeling better and I do so understand returning to the coziness of home. I sleep under a wonderfully warm blanket and a down comforter and when I wake in the morning, feeling the warmth and the "coziness" and the sense of general well-being that inundates me, words of gratitude spring spontaneously to my heart and mind. Peace.

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.

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Who is DJan?

My non-standard name, DJan, comes from smooshing together my first initial and my middle name. I answer to either DJan or Jan. As an active Senior in Bellingham, Washington, I spend my spare time with my blogging buddies, hiking around the area, reading, thinking, and writing my own stuff.